Synchronicity: Kingdom Hearts Version
by Requiem of the Night
Summary: The whim of fate brought the Dragon to Tomochi, the laws of man made the Divas, and the heart of a brother searching for his sibling drives this quest. Songs of the sun, moon, and stars are his map as Sora searches for the one whose smile is imprinted in his mind...
1. Prologue

A dragon is a powerful being, indeed. Razing acres of farmland with a single breath, wiping out cities with the swipe of a tail. A dragon could reduce a country to nothing if given reason.

And for all dragons, gold is the best reason of all.

Tomochi was a great, wealthy land. It had seen peace for so long that it no longer had a formal military, for its leaders saw no reason for one. Its borders surrounded by seas, the people of Tomochi felt secure, despite being so vulnerable.

They were caught fully unprepared when the greatest dragon of them all, The Original One, decided to set his sights on their piles of undefended gold.

Thousands were killed in the golden tongues of flame, more still caught underneath the Original One's long tail and powerful claws. The few who had survived by chance gathered within the walls of the City, their beautiful capitol that had been reduced to nothing but a refugee camp.

Unnoticed by all, a single woman with hair as golden as the sun approached the Great Dragon, knowing that if such a Dragon could protect Tomochi, they would no longer have to quake in fear for any reason, not even for the Dragon himself.

The Dragon had already taken all of the land's riches for itself, it had devoured the livestock and burned the fruit trees that gave the people life, what could the woman possibly offer him in exchange for Tomochi's protection?

She sang. It is said that the Dragon's great yellow eyes filled with tears at the sound of her voice, at the sight of her enchanting dance. She offered the only thing she could, her life in servitude.

"_Sing me to sleep with your prayers, child, dance for me each day, and I shall protect your world."_

The pact was made and Tomochi was regiven the peace it so craved. The Great Dragon spread its wings and protected the land, so long as the woman sang and danced for him.

But nothing lasts forever, and humans are fragile things.

The Great Dragon was filled with rage and resumed ravaging destruction upon the land. A new singer was needed to quelch his anger.

And so a new weaver of prayers was found, and the Dragon's anger was once again calmed by the songs and dances. The Dragon's singer soon became known as the Diva.

But the people knew that once this songstress died, the Dragon would once again wreak havoc on their land.

A new government was appointed to make sure that the Great Dragon was given a new Diva immediately after the last one died of exhaustion. An Oracle was given the head of this government, for the sole fact that he could supposedly see who would be the next Diva, male or female, in his bizarre trances.

For years, everything was perfect. The Divas were regaled as protectors of their country once they passed on, their names written in the Book of Heroes for eternity.

However, where light reigns, shadows soon follow. The line of the Oracle soon became corrupt, becoming more of a tyrant than a benevolent ruler and the names of the Divas were wiped from history itself, turning them into deities meant solely for the preservation of their nation.

A new military was brought up for the sole purpose of making sure that the youth chosen to be the next Diva was obtained without a hitch. More often than not, infants were ripped from their mothers' grasps to be trained as Divas, never to see their true families again, fated to die from exhaustion after only a few months of singing for the Dragon or to be killed by the Dragon itself when it tired of them.

And so the reign of Dragonism began…

...

Aerith gazed upon her twin boys in adoration. Twins! It was considered fortunate to even have one surviving child, but two! She felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

She kissed their shiny foreheads lovingly, brushing aside golden locks on the youngest, brown spikes on the eldest. She gently placed the musical pendants that had been passed down in her family for generations around their necks, a treble cleft for her golden boy, a bass for her cinnamon locked angel. The black painted metal shone stark against the infants' soft white jumpers.

A knock came at the door and she gently lowered her children into the cradle that they shared, walking across the one room cottage to the door with a blissful smile on her face. That smile dropped when she found herself face to face with two soldiers of the Oracle.

"We have come for your youngest male child," the taller and, as Aerith noted, probably the higher ranking of the two stated, holding up the scroll that no doubt bequeathed the custody of her child to the Oracle and, eventually, the Dragon.

"No…" Aerith gasped, her eyes wide and gaping mouth covered with her hands. "No! You can't!"

"We can, and we will," the soldier stated. "Demyx, restrain her."

Aerith screamed as the shorter of the soldiers pinned her to his chest with an arm around her neck. She reached out a desperate hand as the soldier picked up her baby boy. Both twins were screaming now. The soldier returned to the door way, the blonde baby cradled in one arm.

"We have what we came for. Demyx, release her."

The younger soldier released her and Aerith collapsed to the floor as the soldiers left, the one who had restrained her whispering a regretful "Sorry, ma'am" before running after his superior.

Aerith broke into sobs, her cries joining those of her older baby in the hushed light of the room. She screamed out her stolen child's name between sobs, in the way that only a broken-hearted mother has the ability to as her infant was driven farther and farther from her.

"Roxas!"


	2. Chapter 1

In the light sent off from the rising sun's golden rays, a young man's shadow danced on a travel-worn path. A calloused hand is raised to brush chocolate-brown spikes away from sapphire eyes and the young man shivers, pulling his cloak closer towards his thin form in an attempt to ward off the morning's chill.

"You're going to catch your death out here, kid, being out so early," a voice from the side of the road says.

The young man turns towards the voice and smirks, his thin lips pulling slightly off of white teeth.

"Is that so?" he says, his voice surprisingly light despite his haggard appearance. "I've always found the mornings better for travelling, myself."

The voice chuckles and another young man; slightly older than the first, steps into the golden spotlight that the sun seems to have adjusted just for his arrival. Silver hair glints brightly as it frames aquamarine eyes that flash merrily as the stranger pushes his porcelain pale hands in the pockets of rough black trousers. He wears a white shirt partially covered by an aqua scarf wrapped carelessly around his neck and small bits of decorated leather armor placed here and there along his torso. The young man oozes self-assuredness, and not just because of the beautifully crafted dagger sheathed at his belt.

"Really?" the man seems to scoff. "Well, kid, better for travelling or not, this road's littered with vagabonds."

The younger of the two smiles and pushes aside his fur-trimmed cloak to reveal an old, but obviously well cared for, saber.

"I think I can handle myself."

The stranger laughs, a cold and metallic sound that sends the morning air into ripples. "Point taken. Name's Riku."

"Sora," the brunette replies, holding out his hand. The silver-haired man takes it and the pair shake.

The two set off towards the town that can just be seen cresting the hill that the cobbled path leads towards.

"How come you're heading towards Traverse?" Riku asks, turning his head to look at his shorter companion while still walking forward.

Sora is silent for a long while before answering. "I'm looking for information."

"Information about what? Not much happens in Traverse, kid."

Again, the young men are plunged into a pregnant silence before Sora answers. "About my brother."

The pair walks for a small time before Riku speaks. "What about your brother? He in jail or something?"

Sora hesitates before speaking, as if contemplating whether this man could be trusted with this piece of information. "He's in line to be the next Diva."

Riku's eyebrows shoot upward in astonishment, in serious danger of losing themselves in the silvery bangs just centimeters above. "Oh, wow, I'm sorry, man. That's gotta be rough. When was the kid taken?"

"When we were babies."

Riku remains silent after that, making no move to speak. To both of their surprise, it is Sora who breaks the silence.

"We're twins, so even though we've never met, I know him," he says, turning to look at the taller boy with a cheeky smile on his face. "Weird, huh?"

Riku blinks in surprise, then chuckles. He smiles and places a hand on Sora's thin shoulder. "Tell you what, kid. I'm going to accompany you to Traverse, then you and I are gonna track down some info about your brother, got it?"

Sora smiles and nods in affirmation before returning his sights to the red tile roofs of Traverse as the two walk side by side in the early golden light.


	3. Chapter 2

Traverse was known for being a town that possessed few happenings, good restaurants, and a wide market of armor, weapons, and horses; but that wasn't why Sora needed to go there. Traverse was also known for its vast criminal underground, a secret that many residents have tried to squelch over the years.

As the pair got closer and closer to the hill-crested town, a wall of noise got louder and louder. Pots clanging, smiths banging on metal, children shrieking, merchants hawking wares, women gossiping and bargaining, the clamor eventually forced Sora, who was cursed with rather sensitive ears, to cover said hearing appendages to avoid going deaf.

Riku, naturally, was unaffected and continued walking, dragging Sora behind him.

The boys eventually passed the busy marketplace and Sora was once again granted both his freedom and his hearing as they trotted towards a nearby fountain.

"Hey, Sora?" Riku said, turning to look at his younger companion.

"Yeah?"

"Do you even have any idea _how _to get information off the black market?"

From Sora's facial expression, Riku could automatically tell that the brown-haired boy had absolutely no idea. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Guess it's a good thing you ran into me, then," Riku said once he had smacked Sora upside the head. "I know criminals, and I know a guy in Traverse who might be able to help you."

Sora immediately brightened. "Really?"

Riku chuckled. "Yes, really. His name's Cid, he owes me a favor from a few years back when I saved his butt."

Sora grinned and enveloped Riku in a hug. "You're the best friend _ever_!"

Riku reddened slightly, being both unused to physical contact and compliments. "Um…. Yeah, Sora, could you let go? I can't breathe."

Sora jumped back, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, just excited."

Riku nodded and set off at a brisk pace. "Come on, Cid's shop is halfway across town." He was already ten feet away before Sora registered what he had said and rushed after him.

"Riku! Wait up!"

…

Cid was a simple man. He worked his smithy each day, went home each night, and occasionally got into gambling trouble. He had run into Riku a few years previous when some of his "friends" came to call and collect. Being a man of _very_ humble beginnings, he could not repay them.

This is where Riku came in.

Despite looking rather grouchy at times, Riku was a very soft-hearted boy and took pity upon the man getting beaten by a group of what appeared to be thugs. Five minutes later, Cid was babbling his thanks to the silver-haired teen as he wrapped up the older man's wounds. Cid had promise Riku any favor he asked for whenever he needed it that bleary night.

Imagine his surprise when, two years after the fact, Riku showed up at his shop with a hyperactive brunette in tow and asking for black market information.

"Sorry, boys, no can do."

Riku slammed his hand, palm down, on the counter of the shop. "You promised me a favor, Cid. _Any_ favor."

Cid pinched the bridge of his nose, the pair of handmade goggles perched in his spiky blonde hair catching the light shining through the shop's one, dusty window.

"I know what I said, Riku, but you don't know the type of guys you'll find down there. You'd never survive."

"Last time I checked, I survived just fine two years ago."

Cid reddened at the reminder of the incident. "But the kid-"

"Can take care of himself. Right, Sora?"

The brunette nodded vigorously, his blue eyes bright and eager. Cid sighed.

"Fine, follow me."

With that, the smith led the two teens into the back of the shop.


	4. Chapter 3

The two boys followed the older man behind a curtain into the back of the shop, disturbing years of dust as they did so. Sora sneezed loudly, covering his nose with a slightly calloused hand as he followed Cid's footsteps in the dust. A shadow reached up and something went click as Cid turned on a light, flooding the small room with yellow phosphorescence and revealing a multitude of junk, as well as highlighting a slashing scar across Sora's left eye. Riku made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Sora sneezed again as Cid pulled a chair away from the wall and sat down in it.

"So, what kind of info ya need?" he said, looking from one boy to the other in fast succession. "Bribes? Drugs? Politics?"

Sora shook his head. "I'm looking for information about the Dragon and the Oracle."

Cid sat back in his chair and breathed outward in a quick huff. "Whoo, that's a toughy, there. Oracle's not really an open chap, is he? But I'll tell ya what I can, kid."

Sora nodded and quickly sat down on a box, all his hyper-activeness gone as a cloud of dust arose around him, making him sneeze again. Cid chuckled and nodded.

"Well, from what I've heard down below, there's a kid in the Oracle's palace, not much older than the two of you, whose grandfather was an expert on the Dragon and on this whole Dragonism deal. Taught him everything he knew. Word is that he's a scholar, doesn't talk much, but he and the Oracle don't get along, so he might be able to help you."

Sora grinned and nodded rapidly. "Ok, great! What's his name?"

Cid shrugged. "I have no idea."

Riku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What?" Cid said. "I'm half drunk when I'm down there; it's a miracle that I even remember what I just told you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Riku countered. "Do you have anything else to tell us?"

Cid nodded. "As a matter of fact, I do. The Oracle's scholars are considered a very valuable part of the court and they live pretty deep in the castle. If you even want to_ talk_ to this kid, you're going to have to get inside. Luckily, I have a connection on the inside. When you get to the Capitol, knock twice on the servant's door and ask for Kairi. Tell her Cid sent ya."

Sora nodded, obviously memorizing every bit of information, making Riku chuckle.

Cid looked at Sora with a more curious expression. "But, if I may ask, why do you even want to know about this junk, anyway? It's hardly interesting to kids your age."

Sora frowned and looked at the floor. "Well, you see, its actually very interesting to me. My brother is next in line to be Diva."

Cid sighed and ran a hand through his stiff, graying hair. "Ah, I know what that feels like… My daughter was taken a few years back."

Sora put a hand on Cid's shoulder, offering his silent sympathy. Cid seemed to take it grudgingly, then shooed the two out of his shop. "Now, get! I don't want to see either of you again until you've gotten your brother back safe and sound!"

Sora grinned at Cid and thumped the smith on the back. "Thanks," he said before running off, dragging Riku behind. Cid sighed and rubbed his tired gray eyes.

"Good luck kids," he mumbled, taking a small charcoal drawing out of his pocket and unfolding it, tracing the small face with his thumbnail. "Don't worry, Yuffie, I know they'll get it to stop…"

And with that, he turned and walked back into his store, flipping the sign to 'open' and sitting down behind the register as if nothing was wrong with his life.


	5. Chapter 4

Deep, deep in the cavernous mountains, a black-haired girl stares into unseeing blue eyes through the holes of a silver mask. She stands, brushing her hair over her shoulder and looking down at the body, seemingly fascinated by the streaks of red painted through pale blonde hair. She turns away, the sharp heels of her shoes clacking painfully on the granite as she walks. In the depths of her mind, she dimly registers that word must be sent to the Capitol.

The Diva was dead.

…

Sora races after his companion, a grin spread across his round face, eyes shining with exuberance.

"So, we get to the Capitol, find this scholar guy and ask him where the Dragon Den is, then go there and take back my brother!" he chirruped, as if taking a living Diva from the clutches of the Dragon was such a simple task.

Riku sighed. "Calm down, kiddo; let's focus on the first step: getting to the Capitol."

Sora nodded, still hyperactively bouncing up and down on his heels. "Right, that should take us, um, about three days, right?"

Riku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "More like three _weeks_, Sora."

The brunette's face fell. "Oh…" was all he said, reaching up to clutch at a black pendant around his neck that Riku had never noticed before. Riku let out a sigh and placed a tentative hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Hey, buck up. We will get there. Besides, you said that he was _next in line _to be Diva, not the current Diva. That means that we have plenty of time to find him before he's even taken to the Dragon."

Sora simply nods; his mind obviously elsewhere. A song echoes in the back of his mind, the voice burning into his heart as he closes his eyes.

Riku sighs and grips Sora's shoulder before letting go. "Come on; let's go find an inn for the night."

Sora brightened up a bit."Kay," he said, a little bit of his previous happiness back in his voice.

Riku smiled a bit and started ahead, missing how Sora kept glancing at his pendant behind his back.

…

Once they reached a suitable inn and rented a room for the night, both boys sat on the floor as Riku unfolded a map of the country. Riku placed a thin finger on the dot that represented Traverse; then traced a line to the Capitol.

"All right, we are here," he mumbled, putting his finger back on Traverse. "And we want to be here." He placed it on the Capitol again. "The fastest route is through the Pride Lands, but a lot of thieves have been hanging around there lately, so we'd better go around."

Sora nodded, hanging on Riku's every word since he didn't know how to read maps. "Right, so where _do_ we go?"

Riku traced another invisible line, this time going around the large, blank area marked 'Pride Lands.'

"We'll have to go through Destiny and then head to Twilight Town before making a beeline for Hollow Bastion. From there, we can buy two horses at a decent price and ride straight to the Capitol. It will take two, three weeks tops, but it will be worth it to avoid the crime range."

Sora nodded blindly, having no idea what his companion just said. Riku sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, an old habit that he had picked back up after meeting the boy.

"You… have no clue what I'm talking about, do you?"

Sora grinned and shook his head. "No idea!"

Riku sighed again. "This is going to be a very long journey…" he mumbled.

…

Many miles away, a petite boy watches the moon crest the horizon, the silvery light turning his golden hair a pale yellow. His fingers fondle a small treble cleft hanging from his neck as he closes his sky blue eyes.

"It will be my turn soon," he whispers, his voice barely audible to even his own ears. A sigh escapes his lips and he rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands, perhaps to hide from the fate set before him.

"Big brother…"

The clouds pass in front of the moon, turning the world a darker shade of black. Thin fingers squeeze black painted metal, turning the small appendages white.

"Please hurry..."

…

Back in Traverse, Sora's eyes flash open, his hands frantically searching for the bass cleft. He sits up, panting away the cold sweat coating his back. He releases the pendant and stares out the open window at the moon.

"Roxas…"

He closes his eyes, trying to picture his sibling. The image comes easily after years of dreaming and hearing echoes of song.

Sora turns and looks at the sleeping Riku, cocooned in a blanket in the corner after insisting that Sora take the bed. The silver-haired boy sighs, perhaps dreaming of home, and cuddles into a tighter ball. Sora looks away and glances back at the moon, straining his ears for snatches of song. Hearing none, he lies back down and clutches the pendant again.

As he closes his eyes, a lullaby drifts into his mind, wrapping around him like wind until he once again falls into the oblivion of dreams.

**_..._**

**_Three whole pages! I'm so proud of myself :D Now here's some food for thought, who the heck am I casting as everyone else? Go ahead and guess, bet none of you can get the real answer! (Except for you, Jessica, I already told you a few of them.)_**


	6. Chapter 5

Roxas had been told that it was his privilege and duty to serve the Oracle. He was told that nothing but song mattered, that the world outside the temple was dark and rank, that the people were rotten and that the Oracle had done him a favor by taking him away from it.

He never believed it.

He was taught to dance, to sing and speak in different languages, to memorize prayers with only an instant of listening. He was never taught to read by the priests.

It was Naminé that taught him to read the words imprinted everywhere. It was Sora who taught him of the outside world. It was the priests who tried to take it away.

Roxas had never seen the sun. He knew prayers and songs about it, he could recite thousands of poems about its glory, but he had never seen it.

The temple where the Divas were instructed was underground, lit by the luminescent crystals that grew on the ceiling and walls and paved the floor. There was no need to go outside, no need to know the sun or its golden warm, no need to see trees dance in the wind.

Roxas had seen trees. Well, the stunted ones in the garden where dance lessons were held, anyway. And like all the young Divas to be, he loved the garden and the slim freedom it offered.

It was in the garden that he had met Naminé.

He had been only twelve, but he had known the dances far better than the fifteen year old her, or anyone else, for that matter. So, the priests had put the two together so that the younger may teach the older, a phenomenon not unfamiliar when mature children were taken for the Dragon among a mix of Divas taken as infants.

She had been reading a small piece of paper and had looked shocked when he asked her what she was doing.

"I'm reading a letter."

"What's 'reading'?" he had said, rolling the syllables around his mouth in an effort to master them. This, naturally, brought on a long and detailed explanation on literature that was cut off when the priests told them to start practicing.

The two then began to meet earlier than needed in order for Naminé to teach and for Roxas to learn. He was an eager pupil and caught on quickly. Just as well, since the priests had begun to get suspicious.

They grew closer and closer and soon, she had told her younger friend about outside, about the sun and rain and moon and trees and a girl named Kairi who was the most wonderful person in the world. And Roxas had listened in wide-eyed wonder, then told her about his dreams, about a brown-haired boy that looked just like him and echoes of lullabies and the loneliness that being together yet apart at the same time brought.

When Roxas was fifteen, the priests had taken Naminé. They had told him that she was going to go someplace wonderful, that he'd love it once he got there himself.

But Roxas knew better.

…

Sora had seen the sun. He had seen the sun and the moon and the trees dancing in the wind. He had watched the stars play their silent melody and he had dipped his toes in the river and came out soaked. Sora had experienced everything that Roxas had not, and that was just the problem.

When he was five, he began to sing songs that he had never heard, clumsily perform dances that he'd never been taught, chant prayers that had never been written.

His mother had been terrified, but his father knew why. And he had let Sora keep singing and dancing and praying, because it made him feel closer to Roxas.

And it did, which was another problem.

Soon he began to dream. He dreamed of long corridors of glowing blue crystal, of men in dark robes telling him to dance, of a boy with pale skin and blonde hair and eyes just like his. He dreamed of the Temple, and the dreaming never stopped.

When he was seven, he started asking the boy questions. He was eight when he got answers.

They were nine when they found each others' names and started conversations long into the night. They were ten when they played together in dreams.

When he was eleven, Sora stopped singing and dancing and praying. He started listening and writing and noticing instead. And he wrote down the dreams and the boy and all the songs that Roxas sang to him.

They were twelve when Sora resolved to find him and Roxas had smiled sadly and shook his head. They were thirteen when they touched in dreams.

When he was fourteen, Roxas had resigned himself to his fate. And Sora had screamed that he would find him and show him the sun.

They were fifteen when Roxas started singing more than speaking, dancing more than playing, praying more than laughing.

At seventeen, Sora had set out from home in search of his brother.

…

Far from the temple where Roxas waited and not quite as far from the town where Sora was resting, a man looks out on his kingdom and laughs. A letter flutters in his hand, proclaiming news that the Diva was dead. He chuckled once more to himself.

"Heh… She lasted longer than most, that's for sure. Two, three years? Most only last a few months." At this sentence, he bursts out laughing once more, clutching his side in sadistic mirth.

"Lord Oracle?" a questioning voice asks from the doorway. The man turns and faces the messenger.

"Yes, boy?" he drawls, all laughter gone from his eyes.

"Should I send word to the Temple to send the next Diva, Lord Oracle?"

The man grins and laughs once more. The messenger shifts uneasily in place, eyes frantically looking anywhere but at his lord.

"Don't bother. They already know."

As the messenger departs, Marluxia turns back to the window, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

…

Once upon a time, Ienzo had been a child. He had sat on his mother's lap and watched Grandfather play chess, knowing without knowing what move the old man would make next. He would sit with Grandfather as he read from the Book, so important it was referred to as if no other book existed, making minute adjustments and telling him about the real story of the Dragon, how all the folklore were lies.

Once upon a time, Ienzo had been happy and cheerful and just the average child. Until one day, his mother jumped off the castle roof, and that happiness shattered.

But he still had Grandfather, and Grandfather had the Book. And when Grandfather gave him the Book, he was once again happy.

Until Grandfather died.

And once again he was alone, so he took the Book and went to the Academy to become a scholar. He rose to success easily, becoming a top scholar in only a few months. When he graduated, Ienzo was offered the chance to take a new name, to leave the past behind and become a new person, a person of knowledge and learning, devoted to Tomochi. He accepted.

And Ienzo became Zexion.

…

Sora waited impatiently in front of the inn, bouncing up and down in his slightly ill-fitting boots as the clouds cast makeshift shadows on the cobble

"Where _is _he?" he mumbled to himself, checking the position of the sun for the seventh time in the last minute. It had not moved at all, to his surprise.

"Where is who?" someone said from behind him, causing the poor brunette to startle.

"Augh! Riku, don't _do_ that!" he shrieked.

The silver-haired boy laughed. "But it's so fun to scare you!"

"It's not for me!" Sora protested, pouting childishly.

Riku laughed and patted him on the back, his thin fingers digging in encouragingly, as if nothing could go wrong while he held on. "Oh, buck up, Sora, we have a long walk ahead of us. And trust me, it's not all gonna be pretty."

Sora nodded a bit hesitantly, then remembered the dream and assumed a much more determined face. The two set off briskly, following their shadows east towards Destiny, both the town and the supposed figment, Sora animatedly chattering in Riku's ear about this, that, and the other thing. Once again, a thought crossed Riku's mind.

_This was gonna be a long journey._

…

In a temple far beneath the mountains, among glowing blue crystals and stunted trees, a boy follows the robes of a priest, the soles of his bare feet making no noise. He closes his eyes and sends up a silent prayer for his and his brother's safety, tucking a pendant into his shirt as he whispers "_Hurry."_

And only one thought reaches his other half through the depths of hundreds of miles.

_"It's my turn now."_


	7. Chapter 6

The journey to the Capitol was known for being rather hard and, at times, dangerous. Many roads were littered with vagabonds, many towns were not known for their hospitality towards travelers. However, that did not stop the many merchants, tourists, and soldiers who went there for sales, sightseeing, or work.

So, naturally, it would not stop a certain determined brunette and his newly found friend.

The two had been together for over a week now, covering a few miles daily and sleeping under trees or in the occasional inn at night. Riku, luckily, was starting to develop an immunity to Sora's non-stop flow of chatter.

"Anyway, so once we get there, are we going to just rush into the castle once we find this Kairi person or are we going to wait for a while? I think it would be good to just head to the castle, I have a bad feeling that time's running out, but at the same time-"

"Hey, Sora, could you please be quiet for a moment, I'm trying to think."

Well, it was a partial immunity, anyway. Even Riku had his limits, especially when Sora was chattering while he was trying to read the maps. But at least he was more polite than some of the people in Sora's home village.

Sora was, as asked, quiet for a while, watching Riku read the hallowed maps through the corner of his eye, scanning the unfamiliar lines and ridges with a mixture of curiosity and awe.

After all, Sora didn't really know how to read maps, much to his intense chagrin.

Riku mumbled softly to himself, jabbing at one spot on the parchment with a pale, calloused finger before poking at another one, crumbling the paper slightly with each jab.

"You're gonna rip it."

Riku looked up and gave Sora a half-hearted glare. "I am _not _going to rip it, thank you."

"You will if you keep jabbing it like that," Sora shot back.

Riku just kept poking at the map like before, ignoring Sora's glare. After another fifteen minutes of poking, Riku put away the map and gave Sora a bit more peace.

"We need to keep going east for a few miles, then head north to Destiny," Riku said, turning to Sora. "We should be there by nightfall.

As soon as the words were out of the older boy's mouth, Sora was running down the path as though a thousand of the Oracle's soldiers were at his heels. Reaching a bend in the path, he turned back and shouted "Come on, I bet we can make it by midafternoon if we hurry!"

Riku sighed and set off jogging to try to keep up. His premonition was right, the journey hadn't been easy so far, and with Sora in tow it looked like it wouldn't be getting any easier.

…

About three hours later, the pair found themselves tired and footsore in the middle of the Destiny town square. Riku, still leaning against a fountain to try to catch his breath, could only watch as Sora ran around the square with renewed vigor, talking to total strangers, nearly knocking over baskets of produce, and generally causing a very Sora-like ruckus. The silver-haired boy sighed and sat down on the lip of the fountain, knowing through the experiences of the week that nothing in this world or any other could stop a curious, hyperactive Sora.

The brunette finally skidded to a halt in front of Riku, breathing heavily as he babbled on about how beautiful everything was and how much it reminded him of home. Riku just nodded solemnly and let his friend keep talking until the brunette ran out of steam and just sat down next to him by the fountain.

"So, find anything interesting?" Riku said, turning to his exhausted companion.

Sora nodded vigorously. "I even found us a place to stay!" he exclaims, pointing to a blonde woman who looked like she was in her mid-twenties. "Selphie said that we can stay at her place for the night."

Noticing their stare, the young woman waved cheerfully in their direction. Riku gave her a polite nod in return before giving Sora an exasperated look.

"What?! She's nice!"

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. "She may _look_ nice; Sora, but you just met her. How do you know that she _is_ nice?"

"Simple," Sora responded. "I told her about getting back my brother."

At this, Riku could only press his palm against his eyelids to delay the splitting headache that was sure to come.

…

As it turned out, Selphie _was_ nice. After she had finished her shopping, she had taken the two boys on a tour of the town, showing them the best places for supplies, clothing, and any other thing that they may need on their journey, and once the sun set, she took them into her home and prepared dinner with Sora's eager help while Riku set the table out of the guilt that he was no good at cooking.

Once the meal was ready and all three were seated around the humble supper, their hostess said grace and they began to eat, Sora with the gusto of a starved mercenary.

"So," Selphie began, tucking into her rice and vegetables. "Sora tells me that you two are going to the Capitol. It is a dangerous voyage."

Riku nodded and bit into a roll. "Yes, ma'am."

Selphie laughed a sound that suited her honey-toned appearance. "You can just call me Selphie, no need for formalities."

Riku nodded slowly, but didn't say anything else. Luckily, the conversation was taken over by Sora before it could become awkward.

"Yeah, I already told you that we're going to get my brother back, right?"

Selphie nodded and took another bite of her food. "Indeed you did, Sora. You're a rather trusting sort, aren't you?"

At this, Sora blushed a dark red while Riku smirked into his rice. Sheepishly, he nodded, looking a bit ashamed of himself.

Selphie laughed again. "No worries, it's a fine quality to have, but you must be more careful in the future." She took another bite from her roll. "I can relate to your quest, however."

Both boys looked up at her in shock, Riku with a forkful of rice halfway to his mouth. After a moment of pregnant silence, in which Selphie alone seemed perfectly comfortable, Riku cleared his throat.

"Um, how so?"

Selphie chuckled and wiped her mouth delicately with her napkin. "I've also lost someone to the Oracle and his Dragon."

Both boys could have swallowed a wild turkey whole, their mouths were so open.

Selphie laughed aloud at their expressions. "He was my fiancé, Tidus." She sighed and looked at the night sky out of the house's one window wistfully.

Sora leaned closer, expecting a story, while Riku just waited for someone to speak and end the silence again.

Their hostess closed her eyes and smiled. "We were only thirteen, but that's not so uncommon, now is it?"

"What exactly happened?" Riku asked, sounding just a little bit interested despite himself.

"Oh, Tidus was always singing. I guess that it was no surprise that the Oracle targeted him eventually." For sounding so casual, she looked very, very sad and weary, yet an optimistic smile still resided on her face. "He was so strong when the soldiers took him away, he didn't even cry…"

Sora nodded and suddenly became very interested in the melting butter on his roll. Selphie smiled softly at his reaction.

"You miss your brother, don't you?" she said, putting a motherly hand on top of his.

Sora simply nodded and she smiled again. Riku coughed softly, announcing without words how awkward he was feeling. Selphie laughed again.

"OK, I see that poor Riku is feeling left out. I believe that this calls for dessert."

…

The morning sun found the pair of travelers bidding goodbye to Selphie, their packs newly filled with food and their clothing patched by an expert hand. Both boys were pulled into a warmth embrace as their former hostess slipped a small sweet into their pockets without their noticing before going back inside. The two exchanged a cheered look and set off for the path out of town, the path towards Twilight Town and, hopefully, Roxas.

…

The road to the Dragon Den was known to be a tough, long one. Roxas was constantly bounced around in the small coach, accompanied by three priests and catching only minutes of sleep in the small spans of time when the coach was reasonably still. However, these moments of peace were few and far between, since they never stopped, not for sleep or food or even to use the chamber pot.

The new Diva was exhausted, and yet they still had more than a week left of journeying, according to the small snatches of conversation overheard when the priests thought that he was asleep.

Despite all the tiresome things about the journey, Roxas had gained much from it. He had seen the sun for the first time, through the small cracks in the wooden sides of the carriage, and he had smelled air fresher than any in the temple. He had heard birds for the first time and, although he'd seen the moon before from a small crack in the wall of his chamber, he had never seen it as closely or seen it shine as beautifully before.

All in all, it was a journey of firsts for him, and in barely a week's time, he would see and sing for the Dragon for the first time. And yet, he was surprisingly calm. He could sense Sora in the back of his mind, sense him getting closer and closer to his goal, and that made the new Diva smile.

…

If one wished to know anything, anything at all, it was common knowledge in the Castle to go to Zexion. Zexion knew everything, supposedly, and therefore was the best place to get information. However, getting information from Zexion was difficult. To get information from him, you first had to beat him.

And beating Zexion at chess was close to impossible.

However, that had stopped no one from trying, least of all the Oracle himself, Marluxia. In fact, just as Sora and Riku embarked on another stretch of the journey, just as Roxas was dozing off into another fitful slumber, he was caught in another attempt at getting information from the elusive scholar. And he was, once again, having very little success.

The pink-haired ruler stared down the young scholar's black knight, which had so far eliminated much of his arsenal, including his queen. His king was almost cornered, his bishop was too far off to do any good, and aside from those two, all he had were pawns.

Now, Marluxia did not like defeat. As a ruler, he expected and demanded success in everything. And he got it in almost everything.

_Almost._

He had never beaten Zexion at chess, and that was something that irked him to no end. So, he was constantly challenging the boy, not because he wanted information, but because he couldn't stand to lose. Yet, whenever he challenged the younger man, he always lost.

It just made him despise the blue-haired youth even more than he had hated the lad's grandfather.

The king was toppled easily and Zexion let out a single high-pitched laugh before marching away, taking another lost opportunity with him. Marluxia growled to himself before picking up the black king and tossing it across the room.

Someday, that scholar would burn.


End file.
